Starved For Affection
by Avenging Neko
Summary: Seras Victoria, an unwilling test subject in a horrible experiment; what if one grew up with no human contact? The only voices from a computer screen, forming no emotional attachments, or learning to value life. And what if the isolation is broken by a certain vampire in red?
1. Chapter 1

_**Starved For Affection**_

 _ **Ketti:**_ I'm actually not too sure how many people will be happy about this, since it's a new story instead of updating a current one. But I've had this written for a few years now, and my post-birthday resolution is to actually put my stories up regardless of them being finished or not. Mostly posting this so JuJu has KCI, but, hey anyone else who enjoys it? Rock on.

* * *

 _ **Chapter One**_

Seras paced restlessly through her rooms, she knew them like the back of her hand, the lights her constant companion. Something was nagging her, it felt… she didn't know. Frustrated, she flopped into her desk chair and turned on the computer, flipping to her favorite program; the screen saver shifting through different scenes in nature. A smile touched her deathly pale face as she stared at the pictures, always finding something new; a leaf of a different color, or a frog hidden in the grass. She wondered what grass felt like, and longed to touch it. She'd never felt rain (showers didn't count) or sun or wind (fans didn't, either) or even fresh air. She'd never felt a human touch not provided by her own hands.

Her whole life had been spent in these rooms, the days didn't mean much to her when the lights never dimmed or went out. She slept when tired and meals were provided through a special fridge, she'd tried to open the back slider once, but found it locked, and it was durable enough that she couldn't break it. A bell rang and she grunted, meandering over to the kitchen to see her newest volley of pills waiting for her with a bottle of apple juice.

The computers that taught her explained she needed these pills to make up for her lack of outside exposure and to help her maintain a healthy weight. She had a feeling that there was more to the pills than that, vitamins alone could only do so much. She was actually quite smart, believe it or not, with nothing to truly distract her from her studies.

Idly, she counted the pills, then frowned. There were three more of them today, they hadn't increased the numbers in … She couldn't remember. Years?

That strange feeling curdled in her stomach and she turned away from the counter, she'd take them later. Maybe.

Prowling over towards the pool room, the blonde tugged absently at her tank top, feeling uncomfortably warm. Odd. Face scrunching in thought, she whipped the material over her head and threw it to the floor, kicking off her shorts a moment later to leave her in regulation cotton undergarments. Without pausing, the girl dove headfirst into the deep end, flipping in the water and emerging in a spray of crystal fine droplets to gasp in a breath of air. She frowned as she tasted it on her tongue, then stared suspiciously at the walls before diving back beneath the water and making her way to the shallow end, movements lithe and graceful like a mermaid. Learning to swim had taken a lot of practice, but with her water wings and inner-tube, not to mention the ever present robotic voice that would scold her for making a mess or acting dangerously – _don't go in the pool without the water wings. Don't climb that, you'll break your arm. Don't eat that now, you dropped it on the floor… -_ she had figured it out. She had the vague feeling that she'd nearly drowned once. She'd woken up in her bed, attached to a breathing mask with an IV stuck to her wrist.

The people that kept her in here took care of her. She'd almost call them parents, but that'd be a lie.

Unease rattled her nerves and she clambered from the pool, leaving a dripping trail in her wake as she turned right to the seldom used playground equipment, and dropped herself into the big kid's swing. Concentrating on pumping herself up until gravity threatened to unseat her, she grinned as the self made breeze dried her short spiky hair.

That strange smell tickled the back of her throat and she moaned as her head started to feel swimmy. Slowing down, bare feet skidding on the cushioned floor, she gulped in great heaving gasps of air, only making herself feel worse. Oh, oh damn. The sleeping gas. They hadn't dosed her in so long she'd almost forgott-…

* * *

Alucard made his way casually through the abandoned hallways of the facility, peering idly into different room as he passed them. The vampire that had been posing as a scientist had been silenced, but not before he hit a few interesting looking buttons, and Alucard found himself curious as to what they did. One of the other doctors had seemed upset at the target's actions before succumbing to unconsciousness via blood loss. So, Hellsing's Trash Man was exploring.

The place was empty.

But clearly there must be something here? Tilting his head back he sniffed at the air, and found nothing. An almost suspicious amount of nothing. Narrowing his eyes in thought, he back tracked a few feet, and found that the air in this corridor had been sterilized recently. Perhaps one of the buttons? But an odd thing to do, since humans didn't have the sense of smell a vampire or other supernatural creatures did.

Red eyes narrowing in thought, he slipped the amber glasses down his nose, and watched the walls more carefully his second time through. There, nearly invisible, was a seam in the wall. He touched it, and after a moment It whirred and slid to the side, revealing a room full of cameras. But nothing was showing on them, and the images looked nothing like the building he'd been meandering through. Intrigued, he stepped closer, and found a red button pulsing just in front of the abandoned chair. Well, why not?

He pushed it.

The cameras flickered and something caught the vampire's eye in the bottom right corner; it looked like an unconscious girl, lower half still propped on the swing she must have fallen from. Or perhaps she was dead?

He had nothing better to do, as his Master had forgotten to order him to return promptly, and so he chuckled in dark humor as he made himself intangible and walked through the wall. It took longer than he would have thought to reach the rooms on the security feeds, and when he emerged from the wall, the first thing that hit him was the overpowering stench of gas. It burned his nose painfully, so he stopped breathing, an easy feat for one such as himself. Without scent to guide him, he wandered, amusing himself by guessing at what each room would hold, until he found himself at an indoor pool, with a puddle of water leading away and presumably towards the female he'd seen on the floor.

When he reached the room he recognized from the monitor, he was further amused to find the girl in her underwear. How indecent!

Freely admiring her lithe form and generous breasts, he knelt by her and checked her pulse, confirming that, yes, she was very much alive. She shivered, even in her unconscious state, and mewled, inching closer to him with a look of longing on her porcelain white face. The girl looked as if she'd never seen a drop of sunlight, and he found that he liked it. She reminded him of a pretty vampiress he knew centuries back.

"What are they keeping you in here, for, hmm?" His deep voice rumbled in his chest, echoing slightly in the noiseless room, and she sighed, a smile curling her lips as the strange girl rolled towards him. How interesting, a human that craved a vampire's presence.

Well, he hardly felt like leaving his newest find here to rot, and it wasn't as if he cared a whit about human laws most nights. So he'd take her with him back to Hellsing. She'd prove a few weeks amusement if nothing else.

Spotting a brown blanket abandoned on the ground to his left, he used it to wrap the girl as he picked her up, finding she weighed no more than a feather. The unnamed blonde purred and cuddled into him, nuzzling her cheek affectionately against his shoulder. Amused, he allowed it, and opened a shadow portal easily in the wall. His target was silenced, and the clean up crew would be arriving any minute now, so, with his mission complete, the vampire was returning to Hellsing.

* * *

" _-ere you thinking?! You had no right to-"_

"Would you rather I leave the girl, Master? How cold."

Seras shivered and scrunched her face up as the male voice rumbled through her very bones. It felt terribly strange. Wait… Male?

Jerking back from the unfamiliar sensation of leaning on something firm, yet somehow warm, she hit the floor with a thump, nearly cracking her skull open in the process. She grunted, rubbing at her sore scalp as she stared wide eyed up at the pair of legs in front of her. Her breathing hitched, shoulders twitching as she tensed. She'd always dreamed of escaping her rooms and visiting new places, but she'd retained a secret hope that she'd be able to accomplish this without ever needing to meet another human. Anxiety rolled in her gut, threatening to make her sick and she scrambled back hastily, only to bump into something that moved back, voicing a muffled 'oomph'.

Alarmed, Seras jerked her head back to take in the sight of the long haired ma-… no, woman in a suit, and she jumped. Two people. Real. Live. People.

The blonde's eyes darted wildly about the room, and she focused in on the window. Without another thought she rushed the glass and nearly made it when the female barked a single command; "Stop her!"

Faster than a blink, she was captured, and she screamed like a wild thing, kicking and biting and clawing without remorse. The red clad creature that held her laughed, dangling her up in the air, her bare feet kicking wildly as she snarled and struggled.

"Alucard, that is enough, you're frightening her." The woman-is-a-suit spoke sharply and approached the pair. Seras bared her blunt teeth and kicked out violently at the female, who looked surprised as she dodged the attempted assault. "What is the matter with you, girl?" She snapped, and Seras flinched minutely, "show a little gratitude for getting you out of that place."

Seras froze, eyes wide and darting about wildly, taking in everything, yet seeming to see none of it. Her heart was racing in her ears, and anger burned in her core that she had escaped her rooms only to be held prisoner once more. It was worse, so much worse, because the window, the _outside_ was just behind her. Just out of reach.

"That's better…" The woman grumbled, eyeing her warily as she approached, and Seras shrank back. The stranger's brows furrowed behind her glasses and she reached out for Seras, who cringed, then slapped the hand back without thinking. The man holding her by the scruff of the neck shook her, and she felt her teeth rattling in her head. _Oooh…Don't do that!_ Seras howled mentally, too shaken to speak aloud.

The woman frowned at her, then grunted as she reached up to adjust her glasses, "Do you have a name, girl?"

Seras looked away from her, refusing to answer.

"You **do** understand me, correct?"

Seras held her silence.

"Alucard?"

Seras felt terribly uncomfortable, dangling a good three inches from the ground, and when she felt something brush her hair, she flinched at first before pausing, then humming as she leaned into the caress of his palm on her scalp. That felt nice.

"She understands perfectly, my Master."

"Then why does she refuse to speak?" The woman sounded frustrated and Seras sniffed, ignoring her as she sought more contact with the nice hand. It pulled back and she whined pitifully, straining in the grip of his other hand.

"Perhaps she doesn't like you," he suggested, sounding amused before turning the girl to face him. Blue met red in a stare down, and Seras tilted her head to the side curiously. He was very pale, like herself, but he had dark hair and lovely red eyes. He grinned at her, showing a set of impressively sharp teeth, and she liked the look of them on his face.

After a long moment, the blonde opened her mouth to speak, coughed, cleared her throat, and tried again. "Hullo."

His grin widened, showing every tooth in his head, "Well, hello yourself little wild thing."

"Can you put me down now?"

"Are you going to try and jump through the window again if he does?" The woman spoke, and Seras eyed her for a moment before ignoring her.

"My Master asked you a question," Alucard rumbled, and Seras' brow pinched as she realized he'd called the woman that before. How odd. Mulling the words over, she spoke to the raven haired man, "I might not."

He chuckled, setting her down, but not releasing her. Yet she didn't mind, in fact she leaned into the cool-and-warm of his hand on her neck now that she was on solid ground.

"What is her name?" The woman wasn't even asking her now, which suited Seras just fine, though why or how Alucard would know was beyond the petite blonde.

"it's Seras."

Seras jumped a bit, then looked up at him, startled. The way he said her name… It sounded much nicer than the machine voice that raised her. "How did you know?"

"That's my secret," he crooned, a strange light in his eyes that made Seras curious. Like amusement, but… darker somehow. "Oh."

"Seras," the nameless woman started, and the girl turned her head away, "why won't you look at me?" She was annoyed. Seras' lips twitched, viciously pleased.

Alucard's Master grabbed her arm, and she yowled as if scalded, turning in a fury to claw the woman's face with her fingernails, only to find her wrist caught. "Let go!" She wailed, kicking her legs out and struggling, "Let me go right now!"

The woman shook her, and Seras felt tears in her eyes as she shrank back and without warning started to cry like a child. "Le-aaah-ggoooh…"

Alarmed, the female released Seras, and she collapsed to the floor in a wailing heap, curling into a ball and shielding her head as if from a blow.

Alucard's Master knelt down and acted as if she were about to touch the girl again, and her crying grew louder, limbs shaking as she cringed and leaned back, cowering on the floor. The door flew open then as an elderly man rushed into the room and stopped dead, expression frozen in bewilderment.

Seras howled as if struck and scuttled back, taking refuge behind the red man's legs, her fierceness gone, replaced by a frightened child in the body of an adult. She clung to his pant-legs and wept, shaking violently, breaths wheezing in her throat.

"What is wrong with her?!" The woman demanded and Seras bit her lip so hard she tasted blood, her shoulders heaving as she tried to stifle her sobs.

"You're frightening her, Master." Alucard almost sounded pleased, which confused Seras a little. "The girl's never had any human contact. They kept her isolated her whole life."

"None?" The new voice must be the old man, and Seras snuffled noisily, trying to breathe through the snot leaking from her nose. "What in blazes for?" The woman sounded incredulous, then there was a slight rustle, and some part of Seras' mind decided that Alucard must've shrugged, for the old man spoke up, tone shrewd, "She seems rather attached to you, Alucard. I wonder why that is?"

"Perhaps she knows I'm not human?" Alucard offered, chuckling as he bent at the waist to inspect the pitiful sight hiding behind his legs. The girl's eyes were squinched shut, and her cheeks were flushed, tears making their steady way down to her chin where they dripped to the floor. He lowered a gloved hand to her hair and again she flinched at first before relaxing, leaning up and nuzzling into the cool material like a kitten.

"Sir Integra, I must admit I have no idea what to do with the girl." The old man was speaking, and she knew that the red man was Alucard… Perhaps that was the woman's name? How odd, to call a female Sir.

Then his words sunk in and she clung tighter to Alucard's legs, whining low in her throat. Do with her? Like, experiment with her?! She didn't want to go back to her rooms! "I don't want to go back, you can't make me!" Seras wailed, voice raw from her crying, she sounded as terrible as she looked.

There was a sudden silence in the room, and the girl felt nausea rolling in her gut again from anxiety, hunger, and the strain her crying fit had put on her somewhat frail form. "I…" she hiccupped, then went green, "mmabesick," she turned and threw up the meager contents of her stomach, mostly stomach acid which burned as it trickled out her nose as well. Blackness consumed her, and she would have fallen face first into the mess had Alucard not caught her by the shoulders.

"I like her," he chortled, "can I keep her, Master?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Starved For Affection**_

 _ **Ketti:**_ Remember to keep in mind that I wrote this a few years ago. But I do have a bit more pre-written. Putting up chapter two now as a promise to Jubalii. We'll see how much computer time I get tomorrow to finish rereading chapter three or not.

* * *

 _ **Chpater 2**_

Seras twitched fitfully in her sleep, nightmares of giants manhandling her and screaming haunting her unconscious mind. Whimpering and kicking off her blankets, she was soothed moments later by a comforting touch to her brow, purring and leaning into the hand, pinning it to her pillow with a possessive hold of the wrist. The former owner of the hand seemed amused, and allowed it as the blankets resettled over the petite girl, it was cold down in the lower levels.

Seras sighed contently and tugged on the wrist again as she turned on her side, keeping firm hold of her new hand. It felt so nice…

When the bed dipped her sleepy brain was unalarmed and reveled in the novelty of sharing the space with another body, she rolled and hooked her leg over her bedmate's waist, clinging possessively to the enticing mix of warm and cool.

Time passed unnoticed in the basement until there was a polite knock on the door and Walter entered with a serving tray balanced in one hand, a bowl of rich porridge, some toast, and juice held atop it. His brows arched to find Alucard laying in the bed with the new girl draped over him like a blanket. The vampire shot him a smug look, clearly not discomfited in the least being used so. Walter still felt rather dubious about the little thing being cooped up with the big bad bloodsucker, but he couldn't argue her distress and how she had sought the monster out for safety. Perhaps he was right, and it was his inhumanity that drew the girl. Walter frowned as he set the tray on Alucard's side table, moved from its spot next to his chair to be more accessible to the bed. The bed that hadn't been there until a few hours ago.

The butler cleared his throat meaningfully as he eyed the pair, and Alucard rolled his eyes, waving his hand at the human. Walter sighed through his nose and took a few steps back before speaking in a firm, but gentle, tone.

"Seras? Miss Seras. It's time to get up and eat."

Her reaction was instantaneous and robotic, she sat bolt upright and moved without thought to the edge of the bed, perching there like a child waiting to be told what to do next. Walter blinked, and cleared his throat to catch her attention.

After seeing the elderly male, she backed off the edge of the bed and folded in on herself like a clam, her knees pulled to her chest as she watched with wary eyes. Walter noticed she looked at him with a mix of curiosity and fright, her orbs following his every movement. He understood some of her concern- in a world of steady, unchanging computers, the erratic movements of a human would be rather overwhelming. "Miss Seras," he spoke again, tone mild, soothing, "I'm not here to hurt you. In fact, I brought you some food. You must be hungry, yes?"

The elderly butler indicated the tray and the breakfast (though in truth, it was past sunset) awaiting her approval.

Seras blinked, then lifted her head to sniff the air, finding she liked the smell of it, she edged forward warily. When the old man made no move to come closer, and with the comforting presence of the red man at her back, the girl reached for the tray and pulled it back with her, deeper onto the bed before setting it on her lap as she sat cross legged on the mattress. The juice she recognized, but the toast was unfamiliar, though she had an idea that she'd tried it before… Lifting it, she sniffed again before nibbling on the edge. It tasted bland. Frowning, she set it back down and picked up the spoon to prod the porridge. It, too, seemed familiar. Perhaps something she'd had as a child? Shrugging, she scooped up a spoonful, bringing it to her mouth without hesitation before her eyes widened in disgust. That tasted revolting! Like sugar soaked cardboard. Her teeth ached with the overwhelming sweetness. Spitting it out, she coughed and sputtered, nearly throwing the tray in disgust as she pushed it away before grabbing the juice and gulping it desperately. She frowned after she finished it, tongue running across her teeth, "Why does the orange juice taste wrong, too?" She demanded, glaring at the human suspiciously. She hadn't thought they'd try to poison her!

Walter stared at her, flabbergasted. "Miss Seras, there is nothing wrong with the food, I assure you."

"Well it tastes nasty!" She spat, blue eyes glaring at him aggressively.

"What was your diet before you were rescued, Miss Seras?" Walter asked kindly, trying to sooth the girl.

Seras looked confused for a moment before shrugging uncomfortably, "Whatever they thought I should have for the day."

"Try some fruit, Walter." Alucard hummed, sounding amused, and the girl looked at him sideways, brows raised. Fruit sounded nice, she decided, and she could finally put a name to the old man's face.

"It'd be hard for them to have drugged the fruit, after all, without it being obvious. " Alucard continued, chuckling.

Drug the fruit? Seras' brows furrowed, and she turned to him, confused, "But I took the pills and vitamins."

"Did you now? What a good girl," he purred, and yet Seras felt as though she were being mocked. Disliking that feeling, she scooted closer to the foot of the bed, putting some distance between herself and the male. She tensed when Walter approached, ready to bolt, but he simply retrieved the tray and nodded to her before turning, "Some fruit then, I'll return in a minute, Miss Seras."

When the door closed behind him, Seras set her bare feet on the stone floor and shivered, unaccustomed to the chill. Standing on only mildly shaky legs, the curious little blonde placed a hand on the wall and admired the roughness. Walking slowly, fingertips trailing over the porous stone, she examined the mostly empty chamber she found herself in, feeling the red man's eyes on her back every step of the way. It was strange, but she was used to being watched, so she put the odd feeling off as she examined the little cabinet hidden in the shadows. There was something on the glass, and she frowned, rubbing at it, only to find it stuck to her skin. Disgusted, she rubbed her hand on her pants, realizing only then that she was wearing a set of clothes she'd never seen before, and they were about a size too large. Examining them curiously, she crinkled her nose at the color; a loose gold shirt and baggy green pants that had a lot of pockets. How odd.

Something tickled her nose then, and she sneezed violently, nearly falling flat on her bum with the force of it. Grunting, she made to rub her nose with the still dusty hand when a deep voice interrupted her; "I wouldn't do that."

"No? Why not?"

"You're still dusty. You'll sneeze again."

Oh. That made sense. So that's what dust was? Examining her skin more curiously, she rubbed her fingers together and grimaced. She didn't like dust. Using her clean hand, she wiped at her eyes with her sleeve and felt a little better. Wandering away from the dusty cabinet, no longer interested in the contents, she circled the room and wound up back at the bed. The only other interesting furniture was the large throne like chair, but it looked rather uncomfortable and stiff.

"So," Seras began after a moment of silence, and the red man's brow quirked, "where are we anyways? Can I go outside?"

He chuckled, and sat up further on the bed, raven hair tousled and hanging partially in his face, "This is Hellsing, I live and work here. You'll have to ask Walter about going outside, perhaps he can arrange for the servants and soldiers to stay away for a while? Hmm…"

Seras frowned and shifted her weight from foot to foot, "More humans?"

"Yes," he sounded terribly amused, "I'm afraid there's quite a lot of them in the world."

Seras' frown deepened, "Oh."

He smirked, "Still want to go outside, little wild child?"

"Don't call me that," Seras huffed, eyeing him crossly, "I have a name." She hadn't answered his question yet, as she was still considering her answer.

Outside meant fresh air, wind, grass… The sky.

But… She gnawed on her lower lip anxiously. Her first encounter with that woman was rather unpleasant, and she still didn't trust the old one, Walter. Looking at her feet, face shrouded by her bangs, she asked a very simple but very important question, "Will you go with me?"

There was a pause, but she dare not glance up at him and see the scorn on his face. Her shoulders hunched.

"If you like," he conceded, an odd tone in his voice, almost… She didn't know the emotion to name it. Even so, it cheered her, and she grinned at him, showing her perfectly straight and white teeth. Something about the red man – Alucard, she corrected herself – was very comforting in this world of new and sometimes frightening things.

Just then the door opened, and Seras jumped a little, skittering back a few steps before she realized it was Walter, the tray holding a bowl of different fruits, some she'd never seen before. Curious, she watched his every move as he set the tray back on the side table, and for every step he took back, she approached the fruit. She knew the bananas, and grinned as she grabbed one, peeling it eagerly and biting into the soft innards. Mmm…

"Try this one," Alucard purred, handing her an ovoid purple-red one, and she sniffed at it before sinking her teeth into the slightly resistant flesh. The red juice trickled down her chin, leaving a sticky trail that she lapped at absently. She really liked this one! Taking another larger bite, the girl hummed happily, eating everything but the pit and the small section around the stem.

She licked at her sticky fingers and giggled, "is there another one?"

Walter smiled and nodded, happy to see her eating something at all.

"You may have as many plums as you like," he said gently, keeping his voice low to keep from frightening her.

"Later," Alucard dismissed. "She wants to go outside. Have everyone clear the back lot, and the training field." Walter nodded, but then looked concerned for a moment.

"I'll take it up with Sir Integra," he said finally. "Perhaps she won't mind letting the child have a half hour's exercise."

"I'm not a child," Seras grumbled, picking up an orange and tearing at the skin with her fingernails. "I'm nineteen. . . I think. What day is this? What month? It's June, right? And what time is it?" Then the girl blinked, considering her last question, "Time," she mused, "how odd. I guess it makes a difference when you can actually see the sun."

"It's just past eight, at night, the day is Wednesday, and it's the fourteenth of June, Miss Seras." Walter informed her, bowing his head, "I'll go speak to Sir Integra about your request."

He turned and left, leaving the fruit behind with the blonde girl and her vampiric companion.

* * *

Seras clung to Alucard's arm like a wet towel, eyes wide and staring as he lead her – well, Walter was in front, but Alucard was keeping her from bolting – through the basement hallways and up the steps. She hesitated at the glass sliding door, but was swiftly yanked through by the red man and down the hall, his long legs eating up the carpeted floor while she had to nearly run to keep up. Which was fortunate, because she spotted some curious faces out of the corner of her eye as they passed through the winding corridors, and she shrank back from them, seeking to hide herself in the crimson coat. Walter was currishly quick for someone of his age –which Seras guessed to be his 50s, maybe? – and managed to keep three steps ahead of them at all times despite the pace Alucard set with his mile eating gait. Seras caught a glimpse of a vast and well lit cavern of a room with more stairs, and what she guessed was the front door, but they bypassed that and emerged into the kitchen, which was thankfully empty, though Seras could see the half eaten plates hastily abandoned on the table. After that it was only a matter of feet before they stood at the back door leading out into the yard, and Seras froze.

Her dreams had been plagued with great adventures into the outside world, harrowing escapes from avalanches and mud slides, just like on tv. But the prospect of actually going out there terrified her.

"Miss Seras?" Walter questioned kindly, hand on the door knob to open the last barrier between herself and the real outside world.

"I-.. Is it safe?" She asked meekly, giving him such a wide eyed look that one could mistake her for a frightened kitten, and she looked so terribly small next to Alucard that he felt a rush of pity in his heart for the girl.

"Of course it is, Miss Seras, you have myself and Alucard to protect you." He bowed to her, hand held to his chest, and the petite blonde almost smiled, then she swallowed and bravely took a step towards the door. It opened without her needing to touch it - Walter shot a knowing glance at Alucard over her shoulder - and she gasped as she took in the sight of the moonlit sky. The stars looked so pretty when seen in person! Smiling, she took her first real step into freedom, and shrieked with laughter as the grass tickled her toes. For a moment, just a moment, she forgot everything, and let go of the red man's arm to run out into the crisp night air, tumbling and staining her clothing with green smears. She looked like an excited child on her first play date, eyes glowing with intrigue and cheeks flushed with her joy. Spinning in dizzying circles, arms outstretched, her bell like laughter filled the air as she fell backwards into the grass and stared up at the moon. This was amazing! The grass rustled around her as she moved and she swept her arms across the soft blades as if making a snow angel. Then her gaze slid downward and she crinkld her nose, frowning as she stared at the golden lit window and the silhouette staring back at her. Grunting, she flipped onto her stomach and turned to watch the trees instead.

Trees.

Getting to hands and knees she crawled for a moment before slowly straightening up and taking exaggerated steps through the manicured lawn towards the edge of the woods bordering the massive yard.

"And where do you think you're going, wild child?" Alucard rumbled in amusement and she froze, turning back to him with a sheepish look on her face. "Over there?" She questioned, pointing hopefully.

Now that he'd called attention to himself, she realized how terribly exposed she felt, and she shuddered. Maybe… maybe she'd try that later. Scampering back towards the giant of a man, she grabbed hold of his sleeve without warning and clung to it tightly. Being outside was nice and all, but…

She couldn't even finish her train of thought, and shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot before peering around herself again. Walter was by the now closed door, staying on the step, and there was no one else in sight.

Feeling her braveness returning, she tugged the sleeve, "Are there any flowers?"

Walter answered for Alucard, nodding and pointing to the left, "The garden's over there, Miss Seras, we need to keep it away from the training grounds or the men trample the flowers."

Seras' skin crawled at the mention of more humans and nodded, thanking the man with a smile before tugging Alucard along with her. He just looked amused by the whole ordeal.

When they rounded the short hedge wall to the strategically placed flowers surrounding a nice, open roofed gazebo, Seras pouted. "They're all closed."

Seeing her disappointment, the red clad menace took pity on the buxom blonde and spoke, "There's night blooming flowers in there," he motioned to the little hut like building, and Seras beamed as she scampered over, forgetting to hold onto him again. Alucard admired the view as she pressed herself up against the side and peered into the ring of softly glowing flowers, the moonlight sparkling on their petals.

"I'd say you're getting soft in your old age," Walter hummed from behind the vampire, "but you and I both know that's not why you're being so unusually nice to the girl."

Alucard shrugged and grinned at the butler unashamedly. "What can I say?" he purred, voice dripping with suggestion, "I like them blonde and leggy."

Walter cleared his throat, as if to erase the suggestion from memory, and called out to the girl, "Miss Seras, it's time to come in. The rest of the household needs access to the yard."

The blonde reluctantly pulled herself away from the sight and smell of the pretty flowers, and sighed mournfully as she eyed the garden, "Can I come back in the day time?"

The two men exchanged a glance, and Walter again cleared his throat, "I'll discuss it with Sir Integra, Miss Seras. Perhaps when you feel more comfortable with me as your guide?" He smiled at her kindly and she flicked her gaze away before shrugging and looking at him to nod in agreement.

"I guess."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Starved For Affection**_

 _ **Ketti:**_ Preeeetty sure I've made it obvious at this point that I'm finishing chapters of pre-written stories and posting them. Thus I have no clue when I'll update most of these n ew ones until inspiration strikes me. But at least you have new things to read in the mean time. That counts for something, right?

* * *

 _ **Chapter Three**_

 _Seras dreamed she was back in her rooms. The air had that familiar stale tang combined with the cloying sweetness of the flower scent they thought masked the recycled machinery taste. She wandered aimlessly, surrounded by white walls that had crayon scribbles marking the lower halves, no purpose in mind. The television was off, she toyed with the idea of turning it on, then shrugged and meandered over to the pool room. Maybe she'd go swimming…_

* * *

Unbeknownst to the slumbering blonde, her body was moving without her conscious thought. She'd slipped out of her bed, silent as a ghost, and somehow made her way across the empty room and up the stairs. She'd bounced off the door, nearly waking herself, when her hand went to the knob and the heavy door opened on silent hinges. She took a right, unconsciously following the path she'd taken last night when Alucard and Walter had allowed her to go outside. Somehow she managed not to trip on the stairs, and she shivered mildly as a breeze rushed through the underground hallways. She'd exchanged her pants for a pair of comfortable sleeping shorts, and the sleeves were mere strips of cloth on her shoulders despite the chill that clung to the basement levels.

She climbed the second set of stairs and, again, bumped into the glass door. It took longer to open this one, and her brow crinkled as her mind roiled, threatening to wake once more. The door slid open and she nearly stumbled, leaning on the wall for a moment before shuffling down towards the kitchen. As luck – or perhaps not – would have it she managed to time her sleep walking just right that none of the staff or soldiers were in the halls as she passed. But luck alone could not save her from what happened next; as she stumbled into the kitchen, one of the cooks saw her and was alarmed.

"Hey, you, what are you doing here?" The plump woman grabbed Seras by the shoulders, lightly shaking her to get her attention.

The blonde's eyes snapped open, a snarl escaping her lips as she jerked back, landing back first against the counter. The look in her eyes was feral and crazed as they darted about the room, a low growl rumbling in her throat, one would think her a vampire were it not for the sun shining cheerfully through the windows.

Her chest heaved as her breath came faster, the quick motions of her eyes almost dizzying to follow, and behind the rage on her pale face there was a clear and startling terror. The unfortunate cook reached for the girl again, which was a mistake, as Seras grabbed the knife from the counter behind her and slashed at the woman, who was too surprised to dodge, and blood spattered the floor as skin tore easily beneath the blade.

The plump brunette howled in pain as she clutched at her arm, trying to stop the blood flow from her savaged forearm, and Seras backed towards the hall, heedless of the crimson spray marking her cheek.

The other chefs stopped what they were doing and raised voices assaulted her ears as the formerly distracted staff gathered around their injured comrade, wrapping a dish towel around her arm as a makeshift tourniquet while others advanced on her threateningly.

Seras trembled and it felt as though her heart would burst from the adrenaline pumping into her system. Her upper lip curled back from dull teeth as she swung the knife threateningly, "Don't touch me!"

It was unfortunate that she didn't have the experience to check behind her, or she might have been able to dodge the soldier that tackled her to the floor. In an instant she was a whirlwind of limbs as she twisted to unnatural angles, screaming like a banshee as she attempted to stab the person that _dared_ to touch her. The knife was kicked from her hand, but she grabbed the cook's ankle, yanking him to the floor with her before throwing all of her slight weight to the side, trying to roll the … the _thing_ off of her.

In her bestial panic she managed and she took off on all fours down the hall, only to have another body tackle her and the scream that escaped her throat echoed off the walls, sending chills down the soldiers' spines.

"What is the meaning of this?!" A familiar voice shouted, but Seras was too frantic to get away from the unwanted touch to take heed, and she nearly succeeded with a nasty kick to the stomach, but the soldier fell over her, snarling as he grabbed her arms and wrenched them behind her back.

The adrenaline was starting to burn off and her terror fueled anger threatened to turn to tears as she struggled and screamed for them to _stop touching her_!

And then threw was a sudden chill racing through the hall as the light extinguished, a growling figure in red emerging from the floor, "I was _trying_ to sleep!" He snarled before glaring down at the man pinning the struggling girl to the carpet. Shadows whisked the man up and off the blonde and he picked her up by the scruff of the neck, glaring daggers at her, but she was too preoccupied with her tears to notice.

He shook her, until she felt her teeth would rattle out of her skull and she looked at him with wide, terrified eyes. "I don't want to be outside anymore," she whimpered, "take me back."

"I demand to know what the meaning of this chaos is." Sir Integra cut in as she appeared at the end of the hall, Walter hurried to her side, whispering something in her ear, and the grim faced woman' scowl deepened. "Alucard, take her back to the basement, we have things to discuss."

Seras shook from exhaustion, the side effects of her adrenaline crash, and the only thing her tired brain understood was that she was going back to the nice quiet room with the red man.

The world spun around her and she closed her eyes to stave off the motion sickness, unprepared when he tossed her unceremoniously upon the bed with a growl. She landed face first and bounced, nearly falling off the other side before she righted herself and clutched at her head, moaning in pain.

"Can I go back to my rooms now?" She mumbled to her knees as she curled into a ball, tears threatening to return.

Alucard scoffed, arms crossed over his chest, "You're pathetic. You run and hide like a scared child."

She flinched but kept her face pressed against her bare knees, shivering violently with exhaustion and cold.

"Or should I say a scared _animal_? You hardly act like a human," he sneered, and she wished he'd stop.

His gloved hand landed on her bare shoulder and she flinched before relaxing the slightest bit, though she was still fearful of what he'd do to her. "Then again," he hummed, sounding calmer, "I suppose that's what drew me to you, little wild child."

Her tense shoulders relaxed further when he used that stupid nickname, and she sniffled as she peeked up at him. He gave her a serious look before pushing her over and pulling the blanket over her, "Go to sleep. We'll discuss this later."

There was a strange tickle behind her eyes, almost like a voice whispering inside her skull. It must be from how tired she felt. She had no problems with his command to sleep. Her eyes closed and she was asleep within seconds. Curling into such a tight ball she resembled a child hiding from the boogie man under the supposed safety of the sheets.

* * *

"What can we do? We could hardly drop her off at a mental ward, she'd react like a rabid animal."

"She might like to live in a forest." Alucard offered, sounding amused, and Seras twitched as the words reached her ears.

"Out of the question, she'd never last the night. Walter, I'm entrusting her care to you; socialize the girl properly so she can be useful. One more incident like this morning and the consequences will be dire." Sir Integra growled before Seras heard her storming off, footsteps echoing in the empty room, followed by the resounding _bang!_ of the door slamming shut.

Silence filled the chamber until Walter cleared his throat, "Socializing lessons? Why do I feel as if I'm being told to train a wild dog how to sit and stay?"

Seras shifted again and peered out of the gap in her blankets at the man in his uniform that reminded her of the butlers she'd seen in documentaries. His almost-purple eyes met hers squarely and she looked away, hoisting the blankets higher around herself to hide from the world.

"A heavy task," Alucard agreed with a hint of malicious humor in his voice.

"Miss Seras," Walter addressed, and she peeked at him shyly, "I assume you know how to read and write?" She nodded. "Arithmetic?" Another nod.

"Then it's a simple matter of getting you used to human contact."

She froze and closed the gap in her blanket, burrowing beneath the comforter as if it could protect her.

"Scaredy cat," Alucard uttered scathingly, and she bristled, but stayed under her protective cocoon. "Afraid of your own shadow," he sneered, "what a weakling."

"Alu-"

"I am not!" Seras retorted, throwing the blanket off to glare at the red clad bastard, short hair bedraggled and falling into her eyes messily.

"Prove it," he cooed, grinning savagely at her as he gestured to Walter who pasted a carefully neutral expression on his face, "conquer your silly fear and rise above it, wild child."

She glared murderously at the man she thought was her almost-friend before rolling out of the bed and storming up to the aged man, who kept carefully still. Hesitating, her hand shook as she reached for him, barely grazing his sleeve with her fingertips before jumping back skittishly.

"Was that so bad, Miss Seras?" Walter inquired mildly, and extended his hand slowly towards her. She recognized the gesture from the documentaries she was allowed to watch and looked down at her own hand, biting her lip.

Wait, why did she have to do this? Do any of this? Because Alucard taunted her? Brow scrunching, she rocked back on her heels before cocking her head to the side, a dreamy expression crossing her face before her features smoothed out. She could do this, it was easy. If she could blend in, act normal, she could escape this place and find some quiet farm to live on. That'd be nice.

Something nagged at her, tickling her thoughts, but she ignored it and resolutely extended her own hand, which Walter very carefully and slowly took hold of to shake. "Hello, my name is Walter."

Seras' arm twitched jerkily in time with the gentle shake and she pulled her hand back from the feel of his wrinkly fingers, "Seras," she nearly spat before retreating a step.

"It's a start," Walter sighed, running a hand through his graying hair. "Alucard, I expect you to help as well since she actually tolerates your touch, heaven only knows why."

Seras shifted, feeling uncomfortable with being talked about as though she weren't standing there between them. She didn't really know why she liked Alucard either, but he _felt_ different. Something about him just soothed her, as opposed to the simple act of shaking Walter's hand in a traditional greeting. It felt alien and obtrusive, his touch seeming almost to burn her with its heat.

Her stomach growled and she rubbed at it, frowning. "I'm hungry."

That seemed to be the end of something between the two males, for Walter took a step back and gave a half bow. "Of course, I'll fetch some fruit and simple chicken noodle soup. You should adjust soon enough to food in the real world, Misss Seras, but we'll start slow."


End file.
